Analysis of Relation of High School Students’ Math and Science Motivational Belief and Their Subsequent STEM Major Choice in College and the Gender Difference

Research Article
Open access

Analysis of Relation of High School Students’ Math and Science Motivational Belief and Their Subsequent STEM Major Choice in College and the Gender Difference

Jiawen Ren 1*
  • 1 Fettes College Guangzhou    
  • *corresponding author Katherineren.ren@foxmail.com
Published on 26 October 2023 | https://doi.org/10.54254/2753-7048/11/20230726
LNEP Vol.11
ISSN (Print): 2753-7056
ISSN (Online): 2753-7048
ISBN (Print): 978-1-83558-047-9
ISBN (Online): 978-1-83558-048-6

Abstract

Expectancy-value theory and Dimensional comparison theory were used to design the instrument of this research. This study examines the relationship between the grade twelfth (G12) high school students’ math and science motivational belief and their STEM major choice in college. Additionally, this study examined how math and science motivational beliefs and STEM outcomes varied by gender. This research is conducted by 30 secondary students who is the twelfth grade students and participates into the entrance of university examination in Guangzhou China through questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed by qualitative method structural equation modeling with SPSS and Python to modeling the variables to find the coefficients. From the SEM analysis, it is shown that confidence in acquiring skill in mathematics (0.35) and science (0.08) enables G12 students to choose empirical major but not math-intensive STEM college major such as engineering, agriculture or medicine. Meanwhile, the anxiety of the mathematics score (-0.02) and the science score (0.29) present that students are highly involved in their related subject studies even though they suffer academic pressure. According to the broken-line analysis, students consider mathematics mostly as a benefit to future university study (3.65), and science is more for daily life function (3.71). Lastly, it is proposed that the male performs better than the female but there is no apparent gender difference in STEM performance.

Keywords:

STEM education, motivational belief, college major choice, gender difference

Ren,J. (2023). Analysis of Relation of High School Students’ Math and Science Motivational Belief and Their Subsequent STEM Major Choice in College and the Gender Difference. Lecture Notes in Education Psychology and Public Media,11,111-121.
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References

[1]. Jiang, S., Simpkins, S. D., & Eccles, J. S. (2020). Individuals’ math and science motivation and their subsequent STEM choices and achievement in high school and college: A longitudinal study of gender and college generation status differences. Developmental Psychology, 56(11), 2137.

[2]. Eccles, J. S., & Wigfield, A. (2002). Motivational beliefs, values, and goals. Annual review of psychology, 53(1), 109-132.

[3]. Wigfield, A., & Eccles, J. S. (2000). Expectancy–value theory of achievement motivation. Contemporary educational psychology, 25(1), 68-81.

[4]. Marsh, H. W., Lüdtke, O., Nagengast, B., Trautwein, U., Abduljabbar, A. S., Abdelfattah, F., & Jansen, M. (2015). Dimensional comparison theory: Paradoxical relations between self-beliefs and achievements in multiple domains. Learning and Instruction, 35, 16-32.

[5]. Dunteman, G. H. (1979). Race and Sex Differences in College Science Program Participation. Research Triangle Park, NC: Research Triangle Park.

[6]. Keller, L., Preckel, F., Eccles, J. S., & Brunner, M. (2022). Top-performing math students in 82 countries: An integrative data analysis of gender differences in achievement, achievement profiles, and achievement motivation. Journal of Educational Psychology, 114(5), 966.

[7]. Jiang, S., Schenke, K., Eccles, J. S., Xu, D., & Warschauer, M. (2018). Cross-national comparison of gender differences in the enrollment in and completion of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics Massive Open Online Courses. PloS one, 13(9), e0202463.

[8]. Eccles, J. S. (2015). Gendered socialization of STEM interests in the family. International Journal of Gender, Science and Technology, 7(2), 116-132.

[9]. Huang. S.W. (2022). The Development of STEM Gifted Curriculum in Taiwan: A Possible Dilemma and Suggestions: Taking the United States as a Reference. Taiwan Monthly Journal of Education Review.

[10]. Compulsory education curriculum program. (2022). Ministry of Education of People’s Republic of China. http://www.moe.gov.cn/srcsite/A26/s8001/202204/W020220420582343217634.pdf

[11]. Compulsory education science curriculum program. (2022). Ministry of Education of People’s Republic of China. http://www.moe.gov.cn/srcsite/A26/s8001/202204/W020220420582355009892.pdf

[12]. Compulsory education mathematics curriculum program. (2022). Ministry of Education of People’s Republic of China. http://www.moe.gov.cn/srcsite/A26/s8001/202204/W020220510531636118932.pdf

[13]. Catalogue of undergraduate majors in general colleges and universities. (2012). Ministry of Education of People’s Republic of China. http://www.moe.gov.cn/srcsite/A08/moe_1034/s3882/201209/t20120918_143152.html

[14]. Notice of the establishment of undergraduate programs in regular higher education institution in 2022. (2022). Ministry of Education of People’s Republic of China. http://www.moe.gov.cn/s78/A08/tongzhi/202206/t20220630_641999.html

[15]. Number of Postgraduate Students by Academic Field (Total). Ministry of Education of The People of the Republic of China. http://en.moe.gov.cn/documents/statistics/2019/national/202006/t20200611_464779.html

[16]. Loyalka, P., Liu, O.L., Li, G. et al. Skill levels and gains in university STEM education in China, India, Russia and the United States. Nat Hum Behav 5, 892–904 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-021-01062-3

[17]. Zwetsloot, R., Corrigan, J., Weinstein, E., Peterson, D., Gehlhaus, D., & Fedasiuk, R. (2021). China is Fast Outpacing US STEM PhD Growth. Center for Security and Emerging Technology, August.

[18]. Chen, Y. L., & Tippett, C. D. (2022). Project-Based Inquiry in STEM Teaching for Preschool Children. EURASIA Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 18(4), em2093.

[19]. Jiang, H., Wang, K., Wang, X., Lei, X., & Huang, Z. (2021). Understanding a STEM teacher’s emotions and professional identities: a three-year longitudinal case study. International Journal of STEM Education, 8(1), 1-22.

[20]. 2022 Guangdong province enrollment of higher education regulations (2022). The education examinations authority of guangdong province. https://eea.gd.gov.cn/attachment/0/489/489618/3936051.pdf

[21]. Ullman, J. B., & Bentler, P. M. (2012). Structural equation modeling. Handbook of Psychology, Second Edition, 2. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118133880.hop202023

[22]. Sacha, D., Kraus, M., Keim, D. A., & Chen, M. (2018). Vis4ml: An ontology for visual analytics assisted machine learning. IEEE transactions on visualization and computer graphics, 25(1), 385-395.

[23]. Lazarides, R., Dicke, A. L., Rubach, C., & Eccles, J. S. (2020). Profiles of motivational beliefs in math: Exploring their development, relations to student-perceived classroom characteristics, and impact on future career aspirations and choices. Journal of Educational Psychology, 112(1), 70.

[24]. Umarji, O., Dicke, A. L., Safavian, N., Karabenick, S. A., & Eccles, J. S. (2021). Teachers caring for students and students caring for math: The development of culturally and linguistically diverse adolescents’ math motivation. Journal of School Psychology, 84, 32-48.


Cite this article

Ren,J. (2023). Analysis of Relation of High School Students’ Math and Science Motivational Belief and Their Subsequent STEM Major Choice in College and the Gender Difference. Lecture Notes in Education Psychology and Public Media,11,111-121.

Data availability

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study will be available from the authors upon reasonable request.

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About volume

Volume title: Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Educational Innovation and Philosophical Inquiries

ISBN:978-1-83558-047-9(Print) / 978-1-83558-048-6(Online)
Editor:Enrique Mallen, Javier Cifuentes-Faura
Conference website: https://www.iceipi.org/
Conference date: 7 August 2023
Series: Lecture Notes in Education Psychology and Public Media
Volume number: Vol.11
ISSN:2753-7048(Print) / 2753-7056(Online)

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References

[1]. Jiang, S., Simpkins, S. D., & Eccles, J. S. (2020). Individuals’ math and science motivation and their subsequent STEM choices and achievement in high school and college: A longitudinal study of gender and college generation status differences. Developmental Psychology, 56(11), 2137.

[2]. Eccles, J. S., & Wigfield, A. (2002). Motivational beliefs, values, and goals. Annual review of psychology, 53(1), 109-132.

[3]. Wigfield, A., & Eccles, J. S. (2000). Expectancy–value theory of achievement motivation. Contemporary educational psychology, 25(1), 68-81.

[4]. Marsh, H. W., Lüdtke, O., Nagengast, B., Trautwein, U., Abduljabbar, A. S., Abdelfattah, F., & Jansen, M. (2015). Dimensional comparison theory: Paradoxical relations between self-beliefs and achievements in multiple domains. Learning and Instruction, 35, 16-32.

[5]. Dunteman, G. H. (1979). Race and Sex Differences in College Science Program Participation. Research Triangle Park, NC: Research Triangle Park.

[6]. Keller, L., Preckel, F., Eccles, J. S., & Brunner, M. (2022). Top-performing math students in 82 countries: An integrative data analysis of gender differences in achievement, achievement profiles, and achievement motivation. Journal of Educational Psychology, 114(5), 966.

[7]. Jiang, S., Schenke, K., Eccles, J. S., Xu, D., & Warschauer, M. (2018). Cross-national comparison of gender differences in the enrollment in and completion of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics Massive Open Online Courses. PloS one, 13(9), e0202463.

[8]. Eccles, J. S. (2015). Gendered socialization of STEM interests in the family. International Journal of Gender, Science and Technology, 7(2), 116-132.

[9]. Huang. S.W. (2022). The Development of STEM Gifted Curriculum in Taiwan: A Possible Dilemma and Suggestions: Taking the United States as a Reference. Taiwan Monthly Journal of Education Review.

[10]. Compulsory education curriculum program. (2022). Ministry of Education of People’s Republic of China. http://www.moe.gov.cn/srcsite/A26/s8001/202204/W020220420582343217634.pdf

[11]. Compulsory education science curriculum program. (2022). Ministry of Education of People’s Republic of China. http://www.moe.gov.cn/srcsite/A26/s8001/202204/W020220420582355009892.pdf

[12]. Compulsory education mathematics curriculum program. (2022). Ministry of Education of People’s Republic of China. http://www.moe.gov.cn/srcsite/A26/s8001/202204/W020220510531636118932.pdf

[13]. Catalogue of undergraduate majors in general colleges and universities. (2012). Ministry of Education of People’s Republic of China. http://www.moe.gov.cn/srcsite/A08/moe_1034/s3882/201209/t20120918_143152.html

[14]. Notice of the establishment of undergraduate programs in regular higher education institution in 2022. (2022). Ministry of Education of People’s Republic of China. http://www.moe.gov.cn/s78/A08/tongzhi/202206/t20220630_641999.html

[15]. Number of Postgraduate Students by Academic Field (Total). Ministry of Education of The People of the Republic of China. http://en.moe.gov.cn/documents/statistics/2019/national/202006/t20200611_464779.html

[16]. Loyalka, P., Liu, O.L., Li, G. et al. Skill levels and gains in university STEM education in China, India, Russia and the United States. Nat Hum Behav 5, 892–904 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-021-01062-3

[17]. Zwetsloot, R., Corrigan, J., Weinstein, E., Peterson, D., Gehlhaus, D., & Fedasiuk, R. (2021). China is Fast Outpacing US STEM PhD Growth. Center for Security and Emerging Technology, August.

[18]. Chen, Y. L., & Tippett, C. D. (2022). Project-Based Inquiry in STEM Teaching for Preschool Children. EURASIA Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 18(4), em2093.

[19]. Jiang, H., Wang, K., Wang, X., Lei, X., & Huang, Z. (2021). Understanding a STEM teacher’s emotions and professional identities: a three-year longitudinal case study. International Journal of STEM Education, 8(1), 1-22.

[20]. 2022 Guangdong province enrollment of higher education regulations (2022). The education examinations authority of guangdong province. https://eea.gd.gov.cn/attachment/0/489/489618/3936051.pdf

[21]. Ullman, J. B., & Bentler, P. M. (2012). Structural equation modeling. Handbook of Psychology, Second Edition, 2. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118133880.hop202023

[22]. Sacha, D., Kraus, M., Keim, D. A., & Chen, M. (2018). Vis4ml: An ontology for visual analytics assisted machine learning. IEEE transactions on visualization and computer graphics, 25(1), 385-395.

[23]. Lazarides, R., Dicke, A. L., Rubach, C., & Eccles, J. S. (2020). Profiles of motivational beliefs in math: Exploring their development, relations to student-perceived classroom characteristics, and impact on future career aspirations and choices. Journal of Educational Psychology, 112(1), 70.

[24]. Umarji, O., Dicke, A. L., Safavian, N., Karabenick, S. A., & Eccles, J. S. (2021). Teachers caring for students and students caring for math: The development of culturally and linguistically diverse adolescents’ math motivation. Journal of School Psychology, 84, 32-48.